Due to fundamental concerns, the FDP has prevented the draft law that has already been passed by the cabinet from being discussed in the Bundestag this week. There is no end in sight to the conflict.
“Wirtschaftswise” Veronika Grimm has warned that the controversial heating law would overwhelm citizens. “It is important to relieve the homeowners in a targeted manner and at the same time not to overburden the state finances,” said the Nuremberg economist of the Düsseldorf “Rheinische Post”.
It will be crucial to achieve a high level of acceptance without giving up the goal of effective climate protection in the building sector by relaxing the law.
Grimm emphasized that a holistic approach is needed that encourages, but also enables, the switch to sustainable heating systems. In addition to CO2 pricing, this included the expansion of district heating networks and energy-related renovation measures. “It is more important than the speed with which the Building Energy Act is passed that this tightrope walk succeeds,” said the member of the Advisory Council on the assessment of overall economic development.
The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, urges more prudence in view of the heated debates. “Uncertain property owners now have to calm down for a few more weeks and wait and see how the law ultimately turns out,” Müller told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “Rarely does a law leave the Bundestag in the same way it came in. My feeling is that it will probably be slightly modified,” says Müller. The fact that the law will come into force on January 1, 2024 as planned is not yet a done deal for the head of the federal authority. Economics Minister Robert Habeck has already said that the date is not yet set in stone.
Union calls on Scholz to lead
The Union called on Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) again to show leadership in the dispute over the heating law. “It is his job to move things forward with his government. He has to make a proposal,” said the climate expert of the Union faction, Andreas Jung, of the “Rheinische Post”. “There is a lot of uncertainty among people because they don’t get an answer to the simple questions of what I’m going to have to do, what my obligations are, what support there is.” At the same time, the CDU Vice called for the involvement of federal states and municipalities. The heat transition must be implemented locally and not at the green table of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The Greens and the FDP continued their conflict over the planned heating law on Wednesday in the Bundestag. The Greens called on the FDP to end their “blockade”. The FDP, in turn, emphasized that a good law is more important than a quick law.
Due to fundamental concerns, the Free Democrats have prevented the draft law that has already been passed by the cabinet from being dealt with in the Bundestag this week. It stipulates that from next year every newly installed heating system must be operated with at least 65 percent green energy.
Source: Stern
